Behind Closed Doors
by ToTheJourney2014
Summary: Artemis creates a new Dark Hunter for the first time in centuries; a Dark Hunter who brings to light more secrets than Acheron wants to know about. Co-written with Black Dragon Valkyrie after chapter two.
1. Chapter 1

Samsara Parthens shifted around in the cardboard box she called home. She was nineteen years old with long blonde hair and eyes that were a deeper blue than the purest sapphire. She had been surviving on the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, for the past eight years. So far, she had managed to avoid any major conflicts with both the police and anyone else who had wanted to hurt her. She kept a low profile as often as she could and kept herself in the best physical shape possible.

"Look what we have here." A male's voice drifted through the cardboard. The man gave the side of the cardboard box a swift kick. "Come on out of there, girlie. You really don't want us to go in there after you." He smirked at the five other men who were with him.

Samsara tucked herself into a ball and rolled herself out of the box, coming out of the ball as she emerged and kicking the first guy she saw as hard as she could before jumping onto her feet. She kept her back toward the brick wall of the building she had been staying beside so that she could keep all six men in her line of sight. She fought as hard as she could, but the six men quickly overpowered her. As they beat and raped her, slowly killing her, her soul cried out for vengeance.

Artemis gasped, sitting up quickly on her chaise lounge in a movement fast enough to scare her koris. She ignored them as she stood up and disappeared, drawn to the human realm by a call she hadn't heard in centuries. She materialized in an alley in time to see six human males disappearing around the far corner. Dropping to her knees, she reached out and rolled the body of the one who had called to her over. Tears choked her as she realized who it was. "Oh, no," she whispered. She gently touched the young woman behind her left ear, calling on her power to turn the human into a Dark Hunter, knowing she had no choice.

Acheron Parthenopaeus growled as he heard Artemis calling to him. He was sitting at an outdoor table that belonged to one of his Dark Hunter's, Talon, favorite cafes. His hand clenched into a tight fist around the paper cup of coffee, crushing it and spilling the hot liquid over his skin.

"What's wrong?" Talon asked.

Acheron shook his head as he stood up. "Can't explain now. I've got to go." He picked up the black backpack he always carried and walked away without another word. As soon as he was too far away for Talon to see, he slipped into an empty alley and disappeared. He reappeared a few seconds later beside Artemis. "What the hell have you done?" he demanded as he stared at her.

Artemis stared up at Acheron, tears falling down her cheeks. "I had to, Acheron. I didn't have any choice."

Acheron couldn't stop staring at the young woman. "She looks like Ryssa," he whispered. He gave himself a shake and growled, turning his attention back to Artemis. "Who the hell is she, Artie?" He reached out and took the young woman's hand as they waited for her to wake up.

Artemis sighed, not quite meeting Acheron's eyes. "Her name is Samsara Parthens." She nodded when she saw that Acheron recognized the Americanized version of his own last name. "Katya wasn't our first daughter," she explained. "We had another little girl, before you came into your powers. She was a demigoddess named Malika. I have kept an eye on her bloodline over the centuries, helping as I could."

Acheron growled in frustration. "You're telling me this young woman is our granddaughter?!"

"Several generations removed, but yes," Artemis responded. She grimaced as the Samsara began to stir. "You can handle it from here. I'm going to scat the daddle."

Acheron rolled his eyes, not bothering to correct Artemis before she disappeared. He sighed as he squeezed Samsara's hand. "Breathe easy, Samsara," he said, speaking in a soft voice to try not to scare her. "Everything's going to be okay. I know everything seems really strange to you right now. It will take some time to get used to things, but I'm here to help you adjust to your new life."

"New life?" Samsara questioned as she opened her eyes. She gasped in shock as she looked around, trying to take in all of the different and new sensations she was feeling at once. The light at the end of the alley seemed overly bright, and she winced as she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away from it.

Acheron took off his own sunglasses and put them on Samsara's face. He materialized a new pair for himself and slipped them onto his own face. "That should help. Open your eyes slowly, and we'll get you sitting up to start with." He slipped one arm around her shoulders and helped her sit up, letting her stay in that position for a couple of minutes before pulling her to her feet. "Lean against the wall for a couple of minutes. I've got a spare set of clothes in my backpack you can wear for now until we can get you some new ones."

Samsara stared down at herself, only now realizing that she was completely naked. Her memories slowly began to return as she got dressed. "They killed me," she whispered. "I know they killed me." She stared at Acheron in shock. "Who the hell are you, and how am I alive?"

"I am Acheron Parthenopaeus, and you're not. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word." He sighed as he motioned for her to fall into step beside him, leading her out of the alley and into the crowd that was walking along Bourbon Street. "How familiar are you with Greek Mythology?"

Samsara shrugged her shoulders. "As well as anyone who isn't a major scholar of it, I suppose. I've always had a fascination with mythology of any kind, but Greek has held my attention more than any other."

Acheron nodded. "That probably has a lot to do with your heritage," he commented. "The goddess, Artemis, has a rule that if any human is killed in such a way that their soul cries out for vengeance she comes to them and turns them into something called a Dark Hunter. You'll be allowed your vengeance against those who hurt you, if you want it, but from now on you are to work for Artemis."

"What kind of work?" Samsara questioned. She frowned as she looked around. "Where are we going?"

"We'll get into the kind of work in a little while," Acheron responded. "Right now, I'm taking you to meet another Dark Hunter. We'll visit with him for a while until Nick shows his ugly face." He motioned toward Talon as they approached the outdoor area of the cafe. "Looks like I'll be sticking around longer than I thought," he said to Talon. He pulled a chair out for Samsara and then sat down himself. "Talon, meet our newest Dark Hunter. Her name is Samsara Parthens."

Talon's eyes widened at the last name, and he stared at Acheron. "We have a new Dark Hunter? Since when?"

"Since about half an hour ago," Acheron explained. "Don't ask." He looked over at Samsara as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Order anything you want." He nodded as Nick finally answered. "Get your Cajun ass over to Talon's favorite cafe. I've got a job for you."

Talon shook his head as he studied Samsara. "You're not turning the Cajun loose on her, are you, T-Rex?" He chuckled as the waiter came over and took Samsara's order, leaning back in his chair and ordering himself another four beignets with another chicory coffee.

"Who's the Cajun?" Samsara asked placing her order of a dozen oysters, a large spinach salad, half a dozen beignets, and a large cup of chicory coffee. She blushed when she saw Talon raise an eyebrow. "I haven't eaten in a while," she explained quietly.

"The Cajun is a smart-ass named Nick Gautier," Acheron answered. "He runs errands mostly for his boss, Kyrian, but for all of us as needed. And no." He glanced over at Talon. "I'm not about to leave the two of them alone together." He looked back at Samsara. "I need to talk to Talon alone for a few minutes. We'll be right back." He stood up and walked into the nearest alley, knowing Talon would be right behind him.

"What's the deal?" Talon demanded as soon as the two of them were alone. "Artemis hasn't created a new hunter in centuries. I thought you had convinced her not to." He leaned back against the wall of one of the buildings and propped one leg up.

Acheron sighed. "I can't talk about it, but I know she won't be creating any more after this one." He shook his head. "I need you to take charge of things here in the city for a while. You can stay in my apartment. I need to borrow your place so I can train her, just for a night or two until Nick finds her a place of her own." He growled in frustration. "I need someone to take her shopping. The girl was homeless. She doesn't own a damn thing. The bastards who killed her ripped up the only set of clothes she owned."

"That explains why she's wearing your clothes," Talon commented. He glanced back toward the cafe. "We better get back over there. The Cajun is here."


	2. Chapter 2

Nick put his most charming smile on his face as he saw the girl sitting at Talon's favorite table. She was wearing an outfit that was obviously too big on her, but it actually made her look adorable. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. He grabbed her hand in his as he took a seat on the chair closest to her. He kept his eyes locked onto hers as he leaned over to brush a light kiss across the back of her knuckles. "Ma cher," he spoke in a quiet voice. "What is a beautiful woman doing here all alone?"

Samsara growled, jerking her hand free of the man's grasp and punching him as hard as she could. She smirked in satisfaction as he fell off the chair and into a heap on the concrete floor of the outdoor eating area. "Keep your hands to yourself, pig!" she said with a snarl. She wrapped her arms around herself to try to hide her trembling, not wanting the man to see how badly she was shaken up by being touched.

Acheron and Talon came hurrying over, Talon dropping down to his knees beside Nick and helping him sit up. He shook his head as he studied his friend's face. "Looks like she broke your nose, Gautier." He smirked, helping Nick to his feet. "Maybe it'll improve your looks a little."

Acheron pulled his chair over next to the one Samsara was sitting on, reaching out slowly and taking both of her hands into his own. He studied her carefully as he spoke in a soft voice. "I asked Nick to come here," he explained. "Are you okay?"

"Is /she/ okay?" Nick questioned, his voice muffled and thick because of his broken nose. "She broke my nose!"

"You did try to make a pass at her," Talon stated, pointing out the obvious. He chuckled when Nick glared at him.

"She was acting on instinct," Acheron said. He looked over at Nick, keeping Samsara's hands in his own. "I called you here so you could meet her. I need you to find a house for her. Buy her some weapons, and anything else she's going to need. Her and I are going to spend a couple of days out in Talon's swamp so I can train her."

Nick groaned. "New Dark Hunter? Seriously?" He glanced toward the sky. "What the hell were you thinking, Artemis?" He shook his head as he looked back at the girl. "Can you fight at all?" he demanded.

"I broke your nose, didn't I?" Samsara retorted. She looked over at Acheron. "Why is everyone talking about fighting? Is that the work I'm supposed to be doing now for Artemis?" She picked up the last beignet on her plate and began to eat it as she studied the three men.

"Partially," Acheron responded. "The two of us are going to spend the next couple of nights out at Talon's place so you can train while Nick's finding you a place to live."

Samsara frowned, biting the inside of her lip. "I don't have any money. How the hell am I supposed to afford whatever house he finds for me?"

Acheron just stared at Samsara from behind the dark sunglasses he was wearing. "You have money now. It's one of the benefits of working for Artemis." He stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go."

Nick waited until Acheron and Samsara had disappeared before looking over at Talon. "Who the hell is that girl that she's already got Ash wrapped around her finger? I've never seen him so chatty before."

"Hell if I know," Talon responded. He frowned a little as he thought about things. "If she had black hair, I'd swear she was his little sister or daughter or something. Her face looks so much like his." He sighed and shook his head. "I must be imagining things."

"Well, it looks like I get to start house-shopping first thing in the morning," Nick commented. "Ash won't want to wait for long before getting the girl on her own." He frowned a little himself. "I wonder who he'll get to be her Squire? She's gonna need someone to show her what the hell to do and keep her from killing herself by trying to go out in the daytime."

"Ash will show her how to take care of herself," Talon stated confidently. He smirked when he spotted a group of tall blondes, downing the rest of his tea and throwing some cash on the table to cover the tab. "Gotta go." He grinned devilishly as he looked down at Nick. "Duty calls." He was laughing as he hurried after the group of Daimons, disappearing into the night shadows.

~C~

Samsara kept her eyes on the water as Acheron drove the boat through the swamp from the boat house to the shack that Talon called home. She eyes the crocodile on the front porch warily, shaking her head when Acheron moved to help her out of the boat. "Do you not see what's on the porch?" she questioned him, staring at the crocodile with wide eyes.

Acheron laughed. "That's Beth. The only time she attacks is if you threaten Talon... or me." He climbed up onto the porch and then pulled her up effortlessly beside him. "Besides, her bite won't re-kill you."

Samsara shook her head, not taking her eyes off of Beth as the two of them stepped inside the shack. "I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I died once, and you're talking about whether something can re-kill me or not." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She turned to look at him, reaching up to pull off the sunglasses he was wearing as she removed her own.

Acheron leaned back, preventing her from being able to get his sunglasses. "Don't," he stated. He took a couple of steps away from her and leaned back against Talon's desk. "There are few things that can kill you now that you're a Dark Hunter, but you need to be aware of them and see that you avoid them." He pointed toward the left side of her neck, behind her ear. "That new tattoo you have is what marks you as one of Artemis's Dark Hunters. If you get stabbed there, you die. If someone cuts off your head, you die." He glanced toward the windows. "If you go out in sunlight, you burn. Stay in it for too long, you die."

Samsara nodded. "You make being a Dark Hunter sound like being a vampire," she commented. She ran the tip of her tongue along her fangs without realizing she was doing it.

"In a way it is," Acheron replied. "You now have superior strength, extraordinary reflexes, and excellent night vision. Your other senses are enhanced as well." He motioned toward her mouth. "I see you're a fast learner when it comes to hiding your fangs. I've only caught glimpses of them since you woke up."

Samsara laughed. "I've had nineteen years or so of practice," she retorted. She rolled her eyes at the look that crosses his face. "I've had these fangs for as long as I can remember. I learned a long time ago to hide them or get teased." She glanced toward the windows herself. "And I don't mind not being able to go out in the sunlight. I've always been more of a night owl anyway." She looked back over at Acheron, stepping closer toward him. "Why won't you take off those sunglasses?" she asked him.

Acheron growled and stepped around her. "We need to get started on your training while we still have the night. You'll want to sleep as soon as the sun rises, and we'll be able to go shopping for a new wardrobe for you once the sun sets again." He growled again when she moved toward him, grabbing her wrist in a tight grip as she reached for his sunglasses again. "Don't."

Samsara ignored the tone in his voice as she closed the rest of the distance between them. "Stop trying to hide. I want to see your eyes, Acheron." She used her free hand to reach up and pull off the sunglasses, tossing them on top of the desk. She frowned and growled herself when she saw he had his eyes closed tight. She gently caressed the side of his face. "You have asked me to trust you, to let you teach me how to survive. I'm doing that. Can't you trust me enough to let me see what you look like without the sunglasses on?"

Acheron fought against the instinct to shove her away, shaking his head even as he craved more of her touch. It had been so long since he had felt a gentle touch from anyone. "No," he said, a snarl in his tone. "My eyes aren't natural. They're not human."

Samsara shook her head, moving even closer to him. She pulled her wrist free of his grip so that she could cup his face gently between the palms of her hands. "And being born with fangs is natural and human?" she questioned, her voice soft. "Open your eyes, Acheron. Let me see." She gently caressed the sides of his face. "I want to see you."

Acheron sighed and slowly opened his eyes.

Samsara smiled, not bothering to hide her fangs from him as she slowly ran her fingertips along his eyebrows and down his temples. "So beautiful," she murmured. Her smile brightened as her eyes searched his. "You shouldn't keep your eyes hidden, at least not with me. I love them, Acheron. They're incredible."

Acheron felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from him that he hadn't even been aware he was carrying. He found himself smiling back at her. "It freaks humans out so I have to keep the sunglasses on out in public." He sighed a little, kissing her on the forehead before he realized he was going to do it. "But I won't wear them when we're alone." He shook his head, pulling himself back to reality. "Now. It's time to train." He manifested two staffs, tossing one to her as he stepped back. "Defend yourself!"


	3. Chapter 3

It was a few days later, and Samsara was starting her first night on her own. She had her long hair tied back into a French braid, and her long leather coat fanned behind her as she walked down the sidewalk just after the sun had set. She was finally beginning to settle into a bit of a routine with her new life, despite still not being used to the huge house that Nick had purchased for her and the enormous salary she was receiving from Artemis.

Several streets away, an auto shop was closing up for the day. The owner, an average looking man with brown hair, called out as the last employee left. "See you tomorrow, A! Don't get into any trouble tonight!"

A tall man who appeared to be around the age of twenty-five, with black hair that brushed against the base of his neck in a short ponytail and bright eyes that were hidden behind sunglasses, turned his head to look back over his shoulder. He grinned before giving his boss a two fingered salute. "See ya tomorrow, Thomas, and no promises!" He chuckled as he stepped out into the night. He walked for several blocks before turning a corner and heading in the direction of his home.

Samsara slowed down slightly as a strange sensation traveled down her spine. She recognized it as the internal alert system Acheron had explained to her that was supposed to let her know any time that Daimons were close to her. She looked around, keeping her eyes open for any signs of the blonde beings that fed off of humans as she continued her walk.

Anubis, the one whose boss referred to as 'A', raised an eyebrow when a couple of blonde men stepped into his path. He sighed as they barred the route he was taking to get home. "Can I help you?" he questioned in a bored tone.

Samsara quickened her pace as she heard the man's voice a couple of blocks ahead of her position, slowing down again as she approached. She didn't want to reveal herself to a human, but she wanted to be close enough to save him if necessary. Secrecy was something that Acheron had drilled into her head. She knew it was the one main thing that kept beings such as herself in the position to be able to protect humans from the ones who would love to see them eradicated.

One of the blondes, a female, caught Anubis's scent and smirked. "Ain't seen one of your kind here in a long time, jackal," she commented, growling low in her throat as she bared her teeth. Despite the fact that Daimons and Weres were cousins, the soul of a Were was extremely powerful and sought after even more than a human soul was. "I thought all jackals were extinct now."

Anubis' lips pulled back into a snarl. He hated Daimons with a passion that burned brighter than the sun itself. "At least I can still walk in daylight," he retorted. "How long's it been since you've had that pleasure?" he questioned, knowing it would successfully make them angry.

Samsara's eyes widened as she heard the exchange, a little less worried about whether the guy would be able to defend himself now that she knew he was one of the Weres that Acheron had told her about but still not wanting to allow him to see what she was unless absolutely necessary. She stayed hidden in the shadows as she waited to see what would happen, ready to step in if she needed to.

Anubis smirked as three others, including one more female, joined the original two. "Five against one? That's very brave of you," he said in a sarcastic voice. He ignored the hiss that came from one of the females, shrugging his shoulders as he looked at each of them in turn. "What? Don't you like it when someone points out how cowardly it is to go around in packs just to go after one or two human souls?"

Samsara leaned forward in anticipation, sensing the fight would start soon and finding herself looking forward to witnessing it. She had yet to see a Were in person since she had been secluded at Talon's cabin until a couple of days before, and she was anxious to be able to see first hand what they were capable of.

Anubis wasn't surprised when the three males lunged at him. He punched the first one square in the jaw, knocking him down while kicking a second in the chest. As the third approached him, he grabbed him and flipped him over his back, slamming him against the pavement.

Samsara smiled in appreciation as she watched the jackal's moves, surprising herself as she realized she was actually licking her lips. Her eyes were dancing with excitement as she watched the fight unfold, leaning forward slightly from her spot in the shadows as she continued to watch.

The last two, females, snarled at him as Anubis countered each of the male's attacks. One of them toward him while the other tried to run away from him.

Anubis's eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses he wore, and he slammed his fist right into the chest of the one coming at him. He pulled a dagger out of his pocket with his free hand as she screamed and burst into a golden dust, throwing it at the one who was running away. He smirked as the dagger hit its mark in her heart, nodding in satisfaction as she burst into golden dust as well. He glanced around and noticed the males were getting up. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he held his hand out with his palm up toward the night sky. White energy started to crackle in his hand until it formed a ball of lightning about the size of his fist. He threw it at the first male, watching as it turned him into golden dust before jumping to each of the other two males in turn. He sighed as the ball of energy disappeared as the final Daimon burst into golden dust and blew away on the night wind. "You can come out of hiding now," he commented without looking toward the shadows where he knew someone was watching him. "It's safe now."

Samsara applauded as she stepped out of the shadows. "Impressive," she commented. She looked him, briefly, up and down before she continued to speak. "I wasn't hiding because I thought there was danger. I was staying out of your way so that I could see what you could do. I would have jumped in if you had gotten in over your head."

Anubis made sure his sunglasses were covering his eyes as he studied the young woman. "Honey, at my age you have no choice but to be impressive unless you want to die horribly." He offered her a grin. "I think you would have been more of a distraction than a help in a fight.

Samsara opened her mouth to ask how old he was before shutting it quickly as his words registered. She made a face but quickly hid her reaction, except for the slight blush that crept into her cheeks. She made sure her voice was laced with sarcasm as she finally spoke, knowing he was sizing her up. "Do I meet your approval?" she asked in a voice that was laced heavily with sarcasm.

Anubis offered her a slight smirk as he slowly nodded his head. "If I had to be completely honest, I would have to say yes." He sighed and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket "However, something tells me that you have a protector who would try to kick my ass if he even thought I was trying to make a move, so I think I'll keep my hands to myself."

Samsara frowned at him. "I don't have, nor do I need, a protector," she informed him. She glanced up the street as she realized that he was just trying to be polite as he gave her the brush off. He wasn't really interested in her at all. "I'm glad I didn't need to intervene and save your ass. Maybe I'll see you around." Without another word, she broke into a sprint, racing up the street and out of sight into the shadows around the corner.

Anubis watched her go and chuckled to himself. "She's definitely got spirit," he whispered as he turned around and started heading toward his home again. "I hope we do see each other again."

Samsara kept up a constant vigilance the entire night, taking out a handful of Daimons on her own. She even caught sight of the humans who had killed her, but she still hadn't decided what she wanted to do about them. Part of her wanted to kill them over what they had put her through, but there was another part of her who just wanted to forget about them completely. She sighed as she watched them disappear around a far corner, growling to herself as she forced herself to continue her patrol. It was about an hour before sunrise when she finally started a slow walk back to her new home.

Anubis made it back to his house and was greeted by a large German Shepard who wagged his tail in greeting as he licked every part of him he could reach. Anubis chuckled as he shouted. "Down, Guard! Down!"

Once Samsara was safely inside so that she could avoid the sun as it rose, she moved into her windowless kitchen and began to prepare herself something to eat. Her mind drifted toward the jackal she had met that night, realizing that she didn't even know his name. She sighed, knowing she would never see him again. 'Besides,' she told herself. 'He obviously wasn't interested in you, and you have a job to do that requires all of your attention. You don't have time for a jackal Were.'

After loving and petting in the dog for a while, Anubis headed to the bathroom and started up the shower. His thoughts drifted back to the girl as he started undressing and stepped into the shower. He could tell she was a Dark Hunter, and it was obvious that she was a new one. If he remembered correctly, she was also the youngest one as far as appearance. She appeared to be even younger than the Dark Hunter leader, Acheron, who had the appearance of being twenty-one years old. He sighed again as he let the hot water caress his sore and tired muscles before stepping out and toweling off before climbing into bed for a few hours of sleep.

Samsara ate her meal in silence. She hadn't even bothered to play her favorite music, wanting the solitude of the quiet pre-dawn hour. Once she was finished, she cleaned up her mess and moved upstairs to take a shower before she went to bed for the day.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as the sun set that night, she sat up in bed. She got dressed quickly and headed out into the night. She never had been one who liked to be confined, even in a house as large as the one Nick had procured for her. She preferred being outside as much as possible.

Anubis awoke about 7pm. After checking that he had no work today, he dressed in dark jeans and a black t-shirt and an army jacket before heading out into the night.

A couple of hours later, Samsara was face to face with the biggest group of Daimons she had ever seen. So far, she had only encountered a couple of them at a time or, at most, six. There were at least a dozen, and each of them looked lethal. Taking a deep breath to center herself, she pulled the staff that Acheron had taught her to use from her back and began to fight. Her movements blurred together into almost a dance as she fought against the Daimons, letting out a grunt of effort from time to time.

A figure happened across the scene and paused to watch from the shadows. Watching her as she fought but waiting to step in if they needed to.

She spun and twirled in dizzying circles as she kicked and punched, using her staff to parry blows from them as she fought. Slowly, one by one, they began to explode into golden showers as she slammed the end of her staff against the black spots on their chests. She cried out in shock as one of the last ones managed to knock her flat on her back, just managing to kill it before it got its teeth into her neck and flipping herself back onto her feet to dust the last two.

The figure in the shadows barely stopped themselves from jumping in when the daimon knocked her down, but forced themselves to stay where they were.

As the last Daimon exploded around in her a shower of golden dust that completely coated her, she fell to her knees and gasped for breath. She had never fought so many at once before.

"You could use some work on your stamina." The figure said from their place against the far wall.

She stuck her tongue out at him as she attempted to push herself back to her feet. "I've never encountered so many at once before. They usually attack in groups of no more than six."

He smirked as he pushed off the wall and walked forward. "Doesn't make my statement any less true."

She growled as she realized she hadn't gained back enough of her breath to be able to gain her feet. "Go away if all you are going to do is criticize me," she muttered.

Anubis came into view and grinned. "And leave you out here alone by yourself? Nah. I wasn't raised to leave a pretty lady out after dark alone."

She made a face at him, not paying attention to the fact that he had called her pretty. "It's my job to be out here... alone." She re-positioned her staff and used it to push herself to her feet, giving him a defiant look. "You're the guy from last night," she commented, "the jackal. Are you following me?"

He shrugged. "I was about to ask the same." But he answered her question. "Like you and the rest of the dark hunters, I hunt these bastards."

She nodded once. "Good luck to you, and I hope I was entertaining to you." She turned and began walking away, intent on continuing her patrol.

He easily caught up to her. "Are you at least going to give me your nane?"

She sighed and glanced at him. "Samsara Parthens," she replied quietly before continuing on her way again.

He raised a brow at that. "Greek eh?" Then he shrugged and continued walking beside her. "I'm Anubis Hikaru."

She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm Greek." She glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye. "No offense, but I'm supposed to patrol alone. Mind if we meet up later or something when I'm not on duty?"

"What if don't want to leave you alone on patrol?"

She frowned at him. "Why wouldn't you want to? It's my job, and I'll get in trouble if I don't."

He shrugged. "Something just tells me I shouldn't. And I'd be happy to take responsibility if you did happen to get in trouble."

She finally shrugged, deciding it would be better to just let him do whatever he was going to do. She could always ditch him if he got too annoying or became a hindrance. She didn't believe for one moment that he really wanted to spend time with her, and it bothered her that he felt the need to make sure she did her job correctly, but she kept her mouth shut as she continued her patrol.

He silently watched her as they went along, mostly curious how someone like her would be made a dark hunter, they would have died of deep betrayal to become such a thing. Yet he doubted such was the case for Samsara.

She did her best to ignore the fact that he was staring at her, unable to rid herself of the strange feeling that had been bothering her all night since the moment she had woken as soon as the sun was set. Reaching up, she rubbed the back of her neck, her movement lifting her hair enough that the mark of Artemis became visible where it had been placed behind her left ear. Without her realizing it, the mark had begun to glow and bright red that almost seemed to pulse with life.

Anubis noticed the red glow but made no comment about it.

The two of them had walked less than six blocks further down the street when a group of no less than two dozen Spathi Daimons, the oldest and fiercest of the species, attacked. With them were a dozen Gallu demons, ones who lived to maim and kill. All three dozen of the beings attacked Samsara while completely ignoring Anubis.

Samsara growled in anger and frustration as she was attacked, striking back as fiercely and quickly as she could.

Anubis sighed and quickly pulled her away from a Gallu that tried to bite her and kicked it down to the concrete. "I really do hate these assholes." He muttered as he started in on fighting the opponents as well.

She fought as hard as she could, crying out in shock as something struck her against the back and sent her flying into the arms of one of the Spathi daimons. It felt as if her back was broken, but she continued to fight anyway. As she fought, one name began to pulse through her mind as if it was a new rhythm trying to take over her senses... Stryker. She let out an involuntary scream as the Spathi holding her sank its fangs into her neck, leaning her back far enough that it felt as if her back was breaking all over again.

Anubis turned immediately when she screamed. He growled lowly in his throat just moments before something happened. A large wave of shock blue/white lightning shot out and burned the enemy to ashes, but he paid it no mind as he went up to the Spathi daimon that was holding her and personally ripped him away and tore his throat out.

Samsara's vision swam as she fell to the ground when Anubis ripped the remaining Spathi away from her, groaning in pain. Her back felt as if it was on fire, and she couldn't feel her legs.

When the Spathi was ashes, Anubis turned to Samsara and knelt down next to her and carefully picked her up to cradle her body against his chest. He could tell she was weak and would need to rest to regain her strength. Looking up, he noticed the sun would be coming up soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Samsara gasped in pain as he moved her, clenching her teeth together. "The sun..." she managed to whisper.

Acheron growled as he felt a sudden spasm of pain in his back, sensing his granddaughter's pain. He immediately teleported himself to her side, glaring at the jackal who was holding her even though he knew the Were wouldn't know she was anything more than a Dark Hunter. "What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Spathi and Gallu demons. At least three dozen." He briefly explained. He knew who he was and was mentally staring to see some kind of resemblance, both were taller than most and had similar facial structure. He didn't ponder more into it when she whimpered in pain, turning worried golden eyes behind sunglasses down to her face.

She whimpered as she felt the sunrise coming closer and the pain in her back got more intense as her body began to try to heal itself. "My... back is... broken..." she managed to gasp out in a tiny voice.

Anubis grit his teeth. "Need to get her inside." He muttered as he stood, carefully holding her against him.

Acheron put one hand on each of their shoulders and teleported the three of them to the inside of Samsara's small mansion. "Get her to her bed," he instructed the jackal. "I'm going to fix her something to eat. She'll need to eat before she's allowed to go to sleep. It'll help her heal."

Anubis nodded and started off to where he could pick up her scent the most, following it all the way to her bedroom. He pulled the sheets back before laying her down in it and pulling the blankets back over her. He then sat at the edge of her bed and gently brushed her hair from her face.

She whimpered, shying back from his caress without opening her eyes. "So tired..." she murmured.

Acheron fixed a quick meal and added a bottle of wine to the tray before carrying it up the stairs and into Samsara's dark bedroom. "Help her sit up so she can eat," he said as he put the tray across her lifeless legs before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He hit one of the speed dial lines and waited a few moments before speaking. "Jean-Luc, it's Ash. I need you to get to New Orleans as soon as the sun sets tomorrow night to cover for Samsara a couple of nights. She was injured tonight."

Anubis gently shook her shoulder to bring her towards consciousness as he helped her sit up, moving a couple pillows behind her back to help support her back.

She cried out in pain as she was moved, tears sliding down her cheeks before she could stop them. She opened bleary eyes and saw the tray of food, shaking her head and pushing it back as far as she could. "Not... hungry..." she managed to say.

Acheron growled as he disconnected the call and turned back around. "I don't have time to argue with you, Samsara. Eat. Now. You need your strength to heal."

Anubis cringed when she cried out in pain. "I'd there anything you can do to heal her?" He asked the Atlantean. It was a bit easy to figure out from the scent and his specific breed of demon knew of the Atlantean pantheon.

Acheron shook his head. "She has to heal on her own." He pushed the tray back toward her. "You have to eat, Samsara. You need your strength."

Samsara shook her head, sweat matting her hair to her face and neck.

Anubis reached up and wiped the sweat away from her forehead with his sleeve, not really thinking about it until after he did it and blushed a bit.

Acheron growled as his cell phone rang. "I have to take this," he said as he stood up. "Make sure she eats every bite, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Anubis nodded as the Atlantean left the room.

Her eyes rolled back in her head as she slowly began to give way to unconsciousness, whimpering a little as she shifted against the pillows he had propped her against.

Anubis sighed and gently pressed his hand to her forehead, closing his eyes and letting a bit of magic flow from himself to her.

Her breathing slowly began to even out as she started to fall into a deep sleep, not having touched any of the food Acheron had fixed for her.

After Anubis pulled his hand away, he realized she was asleep and sighed. He moved the tray of food to the nightstand and gently laid her back down and pulled the covers up over her.

Acheron growled as he came back into the room and saw Samsara was asleep and the food had not been touched. "I told you to make sure she ate!"

He sighed through his nose. "She can't if she's unconscious." He reached up underneath his sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I managed to subdue the pain for now. But she'll feel it again a little bit after she wakes up."

Acheron fought hard to keep his temper under control. "She was supposed to eat /before/ she lost consciousness." He sighed. "Her body is going to be using too much energy healing while she's sleeping. She'll get so weak she may not wake up."

"My magic will help with the healing. So don't worry about it." Anubis knew that not everyone was born to fight, and originally he had been a healer for a time early on in his life before he had to learn to defend himself. He was a bit of a prodigy in magical healing.

"I'm going to worry," Acheron commented before he could stop himself. "She's not a normal Dark Hunter. She's different."

Anubis raised a brow at him. "Care to elaborate?"

Acheron glanced over at the unconscious woman, barely stopping himself from brushing her hair back from her face or taking her hand in his own as he shook his head. He did his best to keep his emotions hidden. "Not really," he responded in a voice thick with the emotions he was trying to suppress.

Anubis heard it, but gave no outward sign of knowing. The girl obviously meant a lot to the man and knew this from just personal experience. He stood from the bed and made for the door. "I'll be right back." Was all he offered before leaving the room.

As soon as the jackal was gone, Acheron took Samsara's hand into his as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry, Samsara," he whispered. "I swear I'll keep a better eye on you from now on."


	6. Chapter 6

Anubis made his way down to the kitchen. There he set about making a tea he remembered his own mother making when he felt down and sad as a child. He really could use one right about now.

Acheron's eyes never left Samsara's face, his hand holding her cool one as he waited for any sign from her that she was healing okay even though he knew there would be none at least until the sun set again.

Anubis leaned again the counter as he took a sip of the tea he had made. It worked at calming his nerves and spread a warm feeling through him.

"I'll never forgive her for what she's done to you," Acheron whispered, knowing Samsara couldn't hear him. She could never know that she was his granddaughter. "She went too far this time."

Anubis poured another mug of the tea and headed upstairs, he didn't bother warn Acheron as he opened the door. He wasn't surprised at what the Atlantean was doing, having sensed his buried emotions when he had been sitting on the bed. He held the full mug out to the Atlantean.

He quickly dropped Samsara's hand and pushed back from the bed. He stared at the mug, almost as if he couldn't comprehend what it was. "I thought you left," he muttered. "You should go home. I can keep an eye on her. It's part of my job."

Anubis didn't say anything and just held the mug out to him, gesturing he'd take it.

Acheron sighed and took the mug, taking a small sip. "Why are you still here?" he questioned, staring at the tea instead of looking at the jackal. "How do you know Samsara?"

"She saw me take out a few Daimons yesterday."

"That doesn't answer my first question."

The jackal sighed through his nose. "I'm worried about her too, is that what you wanted to hear?" He asked with a note of sarcasm laced into his tone.

"Too?" Acheron asked. He didn't quite meet the jackal's eyes even knowing that the other guy couldn't tell where he was looking from behind his dark sunglasses.

Anubis rolled his eyes. "It's a bit obvious you care about her. Then again, I'm used to smelling other emotions." At the look of confusion he elaborated. "When feeling a certian emotion, the body naturally gives off a distinct scent. I've learned to identify what scent means what emotion."

He still tried to deny his feelings. "Of course I care about her. She's one of my Dark Hunters and is my responsibility."

Anubis gave him a blank look that said, 'I know there's more than that. I'm not stupid.'

Acheron growled but turned his attention back to Samsara, reaching to run his fingers gently through her hair. "She's my granddaughter," he told Anubis in a quiet voice. "Artemis kept her a secret from me, and she still has no idea of who she really is."

He silently nodded. "You planning to tell her someday?"

He shook his head. "She can never know the truth."

Anubis' golden eyes narrowed at that. "Why?"

Acheron sighed and took a deep breath to keep his own temper in check. "She already has enough to deal with by being a brand new Dark Hunter. She doesn't need anyone finding out that she's my granddaughter, and she damn sure doesn't need anyone finding out that she's related to Artemis. Her life is complicated enough."

"And only be more so if you never tell her and she finds out anyway." Anubis said. "I can't help but feel she could find out anything if she wanted to."

"She can, but she has no reason to try. I've seen to her every need." Acheron sighed. "Why do you care so much?"

Anubis rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't sure why he did. "I don't know..."

Acheron raised an eyebrow as he studied the jackal. "You love her, don't you?" he questioned, frowning slightly when the jackal's future suddenly disappeared from his ability to see it.

He blinked up at the Atlantean. "Love may be stretching it a bit. Granted I do find her physically attractive, and she's a sweet kid. But I'm not sure in the love department." He sighed heavily. "Never been sure after what happened the last time I fell in love..."

"Sounds like we're stuck in a similar boat," Acheron commented.

Anubis raised a brow. "Watched your wife and child be killed by Daimons?" That was technically the basic version of what happened to him, he purposely left out quite a bit.

"I had been drugged and was unconscious when my sister and nephew were torn apart," Acheron responded, "but I was referring to the fact that we both love Samsara and neither of us are ready for her to learn the truth."

The jackal sighed a looked to Samsara's sleeping form again. "Guess we are in the same boat, on both accounts. Both lost someone close and don't want to tell Samsara for the fear of losing her too."

Acheron nodded, his eyes moving toward Samsara's face again. "I won't have her traumatized and ridiculed because of me," he whispered as he took her hand in his again. "She'll never know who I really am." He sighed, kissing the back of her hand before standing up. "I have to go check on the rest of the Dark Hunters and make sure no one else was attacked tonight. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Anubis simply nodded. "I'll stay and make sure she's alright."

He nodded his thanks before leaving.


End file.
